Reclaiming History

The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

By: Vincent Bugliosi

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

2008 Audie Award Finalist for Achievement in Abridgement

Edgar Award Winner, Best Fact Crime, 2008

Polls reveal that 85 percent of Americans believe there was a conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald. Some even believe Oswald was entirely innocent. In this encyclopedic, absorbing audiobook, Vincent Bugliosi shows how the public has come to believe such lies about the day that changed the course of history.

Bugliosi has devoted almost 20 years of his life to this project, and is determined to show that, despite the overwhelming popular perception, Oswald killed Kennedy and acted alone.

The brilliant prosecutor of Charles Manson and the man who forged an ironclad case of circumstantial guilt around O. J. Simpson in his best-selling Outrage, Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of "prosecuting" Oswald for the murder of President Kennedy. Reclaiming History is a narrative compendium of fact, ballistic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud upon the American public.

Bugliosi's irresistible logic, relentless pursuit of the truth, and command of the evidence shed fresh light on this American nightmare, providing a new understanding of what did and did not happen in Dallas on November 22, 1963. At last we know what really happened. At last it all makes sense.

©2007 Vincent Bugliosi. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Vincent Bugliosi is an American master of common sense, a punishing advocate and a curmudgeonly refreshing voice of reason....With this work, Bugliosi has definitively explained the murder that recalibrated modern America. It is a book for the ages." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Bugliosi is GREAT!

What did you love best about Reclaiming History?

True, without fault. Bugliosi did more home work than anyone before.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Herman is easy to listen to.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What really happened that day in November of 63.

Get past the intro! You'll love it

The author almost lost me in the intro; however once he hit the body of the book he had my total attention. A very good read that logically disproves the glamorous conspiracy theories out there.

Vincent Bugliosi has done it again

Having read and been very impresseind with Helter Skelter, I really enjoyed this book. Vincent is spectacularly efficient in putting this huge subject together in a manner that is riveting for every minute of the entire book. It gives another perspective to the conspiracy theories that seem to be prevalent. He is a wonderful writer and this is a tremendous listen. As good as any suspense fiction could ever be. Nobody would be disappointed purchasing this book.

Thanks to Oliver Stone, 75% of Americans believe in disproven assassination conspiracies

No wonder we have generations of elections deniers. They’re use to believing far fetched baloney. You should read this book and then read something about real conspiracies for contrast -Aldrich Ames or John Wilks Booth.

Starts fast, ends a litte slow

The first half of this audiobook was top notch - the author's step by step, minute by minute walk through the Kennedy Assassination was excellent. I've read many books on the assassination, but this is the first time I've heard the lead-up, the event, and the aftermath presented in this format - I found it very engaging and learned how to connect many of the dots I've read about. I may listen to this portion again in the future.
The author's rantings about the various conspiracy theories was interesting at times, but got tiring quickly. I generally agree with everything he said, but it felt like I was reading a personalized hate letter to 15 or so conspiracy writers - you disagree and the facts are on your side, WE GET IT. I lost interest in this section quickly.
Recommended - at least for the first portion.

Expert deconstruction of JFK conspiracy theories

This book effectively demonstrate once and for all that Oswald acted alone. This is the abridged version of the book (the unabridged one is 1,632 pages), and is brilliantly narrated by the Edward Hermann.

Among books that concern the JFK assassination, this one is particularly notable and difficult to ignore because of its author: Vincent Bugliosi. Known primarily as the attorney famous for prosecuting Charles Manson, Bugliosi also acted as the prosecutor in a mock trial for Oswald staged and filmed by a British television station in 1986. Serving as Oswald’s attorney in the trial was Gerry Spence (also well-known for many high profile cases, among them his success with the Karen Silkwood verdict).

The book has two distinct sections: the first is a narrative of the days just before the assassination and leading up to Oswald’s burial. It reads like an exciting police procedural (and was in fact published as a separate book a year later ("Five Days in November"). The rest of the book serves as Bugliosi’s arguments that Oswald acted alone. Bugliosi summarizes all of the most famous conspiracy theories, many of the minor ones, and picks them apart, one by one, with the surgical precision of a brilliant attorney.

For me, it was difficult to stop listening to this book. I was riveted.

Extremely convincing case that Oswald acted alone

The best part was the last chapter. He goes through 32 reasons why Oswald had to be the lone assassin who acted alone. At least 10 of these reasons are 100% proof that it couldn't have been any other way.

The Best Explanation of the Kennedy Assassination

Where does Reclaiming History rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

I rank Reclaiming History in the top 10% of my vast Audible Library of 400-plus books. I also rank it as one of my favorite five history books (along with Helter Skelter, a book about the Tate-Labianca murders in which I nearly was a witness for the prosecution and a story in which I believe a young man, Roger Guindon, may also have lost his life.

Most importantly, this is the only book that, for me, settles the question as to whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, did commit the horrific murder of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Until I listened to this book I had always felt the conspiracy was a fact. Thanks to Vincent Bugliosi, I now stand corrected.

Thanks to Audible for bringing this classic-to-be to me - C. William Anderson.

What other book might you compare Reclaiming History to and why?

I really don't know what to compare this book to. It stands in a class of its own, but, I would encourage readers to listen also to 11-22-63 by Stephen King, believe it or not, because it is a well-researched novel that actually spurred me to listen to Reclaiming History, which had been in my library for years, waiting for me to listen to it.

What about Edward Herrmann???s performance did you like?

His reading well communicated the story without getting in the way. Superb performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had an extreme reaction in the sense that I finally realized the conspiracy buffs were wrong. I was wrong. That, and I realized with horror just how often some little misstep by authorities can actually so affect history and our understanding of it.

Think, what if Oswald had been detained at the book depository? Tippett would still be alive. His son would not have gone fatherless.

What if Ruby had not been able to enter through the open garage door. Oswald would have been tried and might have told his story and we all would not have been deluded into conspiracy.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to listen to Bugliosi's case against George W. Bush. That will have to wait until after I listen to Stephen King's The Stand!

Do you Believe in the Conspiracy?

This book outlines the details and opinions of the lone gunman theory. A must read for anyone wh actually believed in the conspiracy and now changed my mind. Read it with an open mind. It'll be worth your time.

CLEAR THINKING = NO CONSPIRACY

The experienced procecutor Vincent Bugliosi dismantles all of the conspiracy arguments.

He proves that anyone believing in a conspiracy to kill JFK is not thinking clearly, ... until they have studied the Warren Commission report. I reversed my belief in a conspirscy and turned my belief into real knowledge based on factual evidence, as opposed to the distortions and lies presented by the conspiracy theorists.